Rakshasa
The rakshasa were a race of semi-immortal demonic entities whose true forms resembled bipedal tigers with human-like hands. They were shapechangers, illusionists, and sorcerers who fed on human flesh. Second City - The Campaign, p. 102 Legend Ra'Shari legends said that a jinn lived beneath the Temple of the White Tiger, imprisoned with gold chains. The dark jinn was so big and powerful that could provoke that women that were not with child, had born terrible Rakshasa from their wombs. Legend of the Burning Sands Roleplaying Game, p. 182 Another tale said rakshasa had been particularly wicked humans in previous incarnations, transformed into demons to punish them for their sins. Second City - The Campaign, p. 87 Abilities The Rakshasa were promised by their gods that no force could harm his people. With an appetite for carnage, they treated humans as cattle. Secrets of the Mantis, p. 91 A rakshasa was not a creature that died easily, or changed easily. A rakshasa was beholden to no one. Such a creature found eternity a heavy, tedious burden and inevitably turned its energies toward destructive mischief on a grand scale. Rakshasa had built empires only to destroy them on a whim, inspired hope merely for the satisfaction of watching it died. Blood Dawn, Part XI: The Tale of the Khadi and the Emperor's Brother, by Rich Wulf His flesh was stone and his blood was flame. The Dawn of the Ogres, by Lucas Twyman Their bodies would reform from any normal injury. Ivory, crystal, jade, or crysteel could harm the Rakshas, but the one true way to kill a rakshasa was to shoot it with a missile blessed by Vishnu the Protector. Second City - The Campaign, pp. 88, 93 When they contacted Rokugan they learned their fabled Magic Resistance did not extend to Maho. Combat Rakshasa delighted in causing pain and suffering in others. Though they were quite powerful physically, they preferred to act unseen. They enjoyed using their shapeshifting powers to cause misery, dissent, and confusion. If they were discovered, or the game became too boring, they shifted into their true form and began murdering everything in sight. Types The few brothers of Revan, King of the Rakshasa, were known as Greater Rakshasa, and the countless rest were known as Lesser Rakshasa. Enemies Vishnu the Preserver once took mortal form to end their reign of terror in the Ivory Kingdoms. In its homelands the Kshatriya, holy warriors much like the samurai, would destroy a rakshasa on sight. History Expelled from Rokugan The Kenku allied with the Kitsune and a few other Hengeyokai against the evil Rakshasa, forcing them to flee past the mountains in what would later became the Ivory Kingdoms. Way of the Minor Clans, p. 31 Ivory Kingdom Rulers Of demonic origin, they once ruled the Ivory Kingdoms with an iron fist before being defeated by a god taking mortal form. Most Rakshasa were destroyed, but some fled the Ivory Kingdoms, where they wrought terrible suffering on the people. The people prayed to the gods for succor, and Vishnu the Protector, lord of life, imprisoned most of the rakshasa race, locking them away in a spiritual trap beyond the physical world, sealed behind the waterfall of a side-branch of the Shinano River that emerged in the Vindhyas Mountains. Only a few of the creatures, the most cunning and the swiftest, managed to escape Vishnu's punishment. Second City - The Campaign, pp. 87-89 At least three escaped to Rokugan. One more was known to have come later in the 12th century when it was revealed to be the leader of Kali-Ma's army during the Destroyer War. The Burning Wall, Part 2, by Shawn Carman Seal Weakened With all of the Ivory Kingdoms' gods dead the power of Vishnu's ancient seal weakened. Raniyah gathered the powerful spiritual artifacts and divine substances she needed to shatter Vishnu's ancient seal. Second City - The Campaign, pp. 5-6 Known Rakshasa Rakshasa, Champion of Jigoku Rakshasa, the selected Champion of Jigoku, invaded Rokugan leading an army of demons and undead. After three days of fighting, he was defeated by Muhonarak, who was seriously wounded in the process. Revan Revan was a rakshasa who ruled the Ivory Kingdoms in ancient times. He was eventually overthrown when Ivory Kingdoms deity Vishnu incarnated himself as a mortal named Arun and led a rebellion. Adisabah Adisabah the Cruel, a rakshasa imprisoned in the Tomb of Iuchiban when he learned that his innate resistance to magic did not extend to maho, gave the impression that they were, as a race, inhumane and malevolent. Four Winds, p. 105 Bishan Bishan the Watchful would be involved in a plot against the Mantis Clan, and used his shapeshifting abilities to impersonate the Mantis Clan Champion, Yoshitsune. Eventually, he found himself becoming more Mantis samurai than Rakshasa, and faked his death after revealing at least part of the truth to his foster son, Yoritomo. To this day, Bishan lurked in the deep jungles of the Islands of Spice and Silk, watching his former clan with sadness and regret. Secrets of the Mantis, pp. 90-91 Raniyah Raniyah the Sly spent many years in Otosan Uchi impersonating an ise zumi before becoming bored and wandering deeper in to the Empire. Otosan Uchi 1 - The Forbidden City, p. 43 He was a hunter of his kin, and chased them to Medinaat al-Salaam, where still were alive four of the five survivors. Raniyah The Awakening flavor) Rahjid Rahjid was a Rakshasa ambassador at Medinaat al-Salaam. He was part of the Sultan Yusef III's court. Rahjid (LBS- Secrets and Lies Boxtext and flavor) Rakshasa General The Rakshasa General led the armies of Kali-Ma against Rokugan during the Plague War in 1171. Unleashed, Part 1, by Shawn Carman See also * Rakshasa/Meta External Links * Dopplegangers (LBS - The Awakening) *